Capitals Trade Brenden Dillon to Winnipeg Jets

Washington gets two second-round draft picks in return for the left-handed defenseman.

The Washington Capitals have reportedly traded 30-year-old defenseman Brenden Dillon to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for two second-round draft picks. TSN’s Darren Dreger was first with the news:

The picks coming back to Washington are a 2022 and 2023 second-rounders.

Washington officially announced the trade 19 minutes later:

The Capitals acquired Dillon at the 2020 NHL trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks for a 2020 second-round pick and 2021 conditional third-round pick. The Caps then re-signed Dillon to a four-year, $15.6 million contract in October 2020. The contract carries an AAV of $3.9 million, which will be a big relief for the cap-strapped Capitals.

Full news release:

The Washington Capitals have acquired a second round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a second round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from the Winnipeg Jets for defenseman Brenden Dillon, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

Dillon, 30, registered 19 points (2g, 17a) in 56 games with the Capitals last season. The 6’4”, 220-pound defenseman has recorded 19 points (2g, 17a) in 66 games with the Capitals. Washington acquired Dillon from the San Jose Sharks via trade on Feb. 18, 2020 in exchange for a second round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and a conditional pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Following the official trade announcement, CapFriendly tweeted an update on Washington’s cap space and roster situation:

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.